Around Here (#WDS2015 Edition)
I spent the last 10 days in Portland, OR at my all time favorite event, with three of my best friends.
It was basically the best ten days ever.
This was my third summer in town for World Domination Summit, an event I can only describe as amazing and, “you just have to be there.” It’s a fantastic group of people who come to town for an event focused around three core values: community, service, and adventure. Three things I can absolutely get behind. There are phenomenal and inspiring speakers, fun dance parties, world record attempts, amazing foods, lots of tears, and tons of belly laughs. I always walk away inspired and more deeply aligned with my purpose in this world.
This year I brought a best friend from Boulder, met up with a best friend from San Diego, and stayed with a best friend from Portland. It was so amazing to introduce three of my favorite people who had never met, but have had such a huge impact in my life. We got inspired, made up silly songs, ate a ton of delicious food, met new friends, danced our booties off, and generally had the best time. There was trail running amongst redwoods in the ferngully-esque forest, more love and laughter than my heart has ever known, deep talks about life and love and loss, and passionate conversations about absolutely nothing.
We also ventured to the coast, where I promptly stripped down to just my bra and shorts and threw myself into the freezing cold water without skipping a beat. I love the mountains, but I’m a water baby at heart, and it was so healing and amazing to be back in the Pacific… despite how terribly, terribly cold it was. We ventured around Astoria (where Goonies was filmed!) and played at Seaside Beach as the sun went down. EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS TRIP WAS THE BEST.
There were moments where I broke into tears, because I realize how much I’m growing and changing, and there are some people and things that don’t seem to fit anymore here in the “after.” And that’s oh so hard sometimes. Then there are the moments I cried just because I’m so incredibly humbled by how beautiful this life is, even when it’s challenging, and I’m so hugely blessed by the people I get to walk through it with. This life is the best. My people are the best.
As I get ready to fly home to Boulder, I’m just pausing to appreciate the amazing experience that was this last 10 days. There were so many tiny moments of normal that were made infinitely better by the ones I got to share them with. There are so many subtle shifts in myself and my work thanks to the beautiful talks given by beautiful souls over the weekend. There are so many stories and moments that I will hold close to my heart and treasure for the rest of my life.
Happy, happy, happy… and oh so blessed.
